Shielding component, a heat shield in particular

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a shielding component, in particular a heat shield, consisting of at least two shield components ( 10, 12 ) which can be connected to each other by way of a connection unit ( 14 ). Because the connection unit ( 14 ) has a guide means ( 16 ) which enables adjustment of the relative position of the individual shield components ( 10, 12 ) to each other and which is used for fastening in the adjusted position, a sliding heat shield concept arises in which, with a heat shield consisting of several shield components, adaptation is possible on site to the geometrical conditions of engines and their add-on parts including exhaust systems, and then effective sound damping and heat insulation can be produced in a wide area with only one shielding component and its shield components.

The invention relates to a shielding component, a heat shield in particular, consisting of at least two shield components which can be connected to each other by way of a connection unit.

While the heat such as that evolved, by of a cost-effective, performance-optimized diesel engine for example, can be very low on the cylinder crankshaft housing, this in no way applies to “hot zones” such as in manifolds, turbochargers, catalytic converters, etc. As a result of the increasingly compact design of engines, components which are not thermally “compatible” are coming to be in ever closer proximity. Hence it is necessary to use so-called shielding components such as heat shields to protect adjacent heat-sensitive assemblies, such as sensors, fuel lines, pressure cells, body parts, and so forth from heat-generating engine components. The situation is also exacerbated by the compact design in that the high packing density of the assemblies constricts the cooling air flow in the engine compartment. Noise abatement measures can also contribute to the problem. For example, under certain circumstances plastic floor plates having the function of reducing the level of sound emerging from the engine compartment to the roadway can produce effective insulation whereby heat is trapped in the engine compartment. Because of their high surface temperature in some phases, catalytic converters are among the heat sources which may necessitate the use of protective shield barriers. A typical example is that of design measures such as positioning the catalytic converter in the immediate vicinity of the manifold. This design principle, which performs the function of rapid heat-up of the catalytic converter and thus of reducing emissions in the cold start phase shifts a major source of heat into the engine compartment where a considerable number of assemblies are crowded in a tight space. Another reason for the growing importance of shielding components such as heat shields is the trend toward use of thermoplastics. Light and economical materials with their exceptional moldability are rapidly becoming common in the engine compartment, but require special attention in view of ambient temperatures generated at the application site in connection with other heat-generating engine parts (“New Materials and Development Tools for Protection from Heat”, in MTZ 12/2001, Vol. 72, pp. 1044 et seq.).

DE 102 47 641 B3 discloses a shielding component, in particular in the form of a sound-damping structural component, as a component of a motor vehicle. In order to improve noise damping in the known shielding component, it has a shield body with a base edge as a shield component which can be fastened on the edge side by way of angular bracket legs within the engine compartment on stationary elements mounted in the latter, and which shields heat-generating engine components from heat-sensitive structural components.

The shield component in the disclosed design is arched in a U-shape in the central area, and is configured to be symmetrical for this purpose. The central U-shaped arched area undergoes transition on the edge side into edge areas of more pronounced curvature, the U-shaped arches on the two edge areas opposite each other being subsequently mounted as fastening means. The shield component consists of two layers of sheet metal, between which extends a sound-damping and/or heat-insulating layer extends, while a border in which the flanged edge of one cover layer covers the edge area of the other cover layer is used for fastening the metal cover layers to each other. In order to reduce the weight, the shielding body may be made of aluminum or another light metal.

The disclosed solution is applied by preference in order to shield a coupling between a drive flange and a drive shaft from the sound of the body coming from the gearing and to exert a long-term effect through thermal radiation of an adjacent exhaust gas pipe.

Motor vehicle engines of identical design are currently used in a plurality of different vehicles; based on the engine applications however increasingly modified add-on pieces are necessary, since their configuration is influenced for the most part by the overall installation situation (vehicle chassis). The structure and the configuration of the exhaust system for example are thus dependent on the type of engine, the output to be attained, and the exhaust gas classification to be achieved according to legal regulations. For an engine this often yields several similar individual component systems which are however dimensioned differently in terms of geometry, in particular in the form of exhaust gas systems with catalytic converters, as are likewise used at present in modem diesel engines in the form of so-called “soot particle burners.”

When the above described disclosed solutions are used for these applications, a heat shield component which differs in terms of geometry must often be developed and formed for each engine and/or its components such as exhaust systems; this increases the production effort and consequently costs. Due to the resulting parts diversity of shield components, complexity is also increased in motor vehicle production lines, especially due to the associated additional effort with respect to parts management and parts storage. Furthermore, mixing up of parts may be possible, especially when they are to be replaced by new parts within the scope of subsequent maintenance. Fundamentally nothing changes in the pertinent problem if especially for large shielding components several individual heat shield components are connected to each other by way of conventional connection units such as screw joints or spring clamps.

On the basis of this prior art, the object of the invention is to further improve the disclosed solutions while retaining their advantages, specifically to ensure very good sound damping and heat insulation, such that production, installation, and maintenance are simplified with a corresponding cost reduction. This object is achieved by a shielding component with the features of claim 1 in its entirety.

In that, as specified in the characterizing part of claim 1, the connection unit has a guide means which enables adjustment of the relative position of the individual shield components to each other and which is used for fastening in the adjusted position, a sliding heat shield concept arises in which with a heat shield consisting of several shield components adaptation is possible on site to the geometrical conditions of engines and their add-on parts including exhaust systems, and then effective sound damping and heat insulation can be effected in a wide area with only one shielding component and its shield components.

The solution as claimed in the invention is characterized in that with only a few actions, it is possible in particular to make the shield components larger or smaller relative to each other by way of a guide means as a part of the connection unit, so that in particular very good adaptation of lengths to the parts to be shielded at the time is achieved. It is possible to adapt the size of the shielding component as claimed in the invention with its individual shield components before installation to the circumstances, or to effect the pertinent adaptation directly in the assembly line, since the guide means enables very rapid relative adjustment of the position between the shield components. With the solution as claimed in the invention, a type of kit of shield components can be implemented which allows adaptation possibilities within a wide scope and helps reduce the diversity of parts, so that overall in the development for tool production and parts management the labor and cost are distinctly reduced and possible errors due to mix-ups occurring earlier can also be avoided in this way, viewed over the life cycle of the parts.

In one preferred embodiment of the shielding component as claimed in the invention, the guide means in one of the shield components has at least one path of travel in the form of a slot, along which another, in particular adjacent, shield component with its guide part engages and is movably guided, the guide part being made preferably from a fastening means such as a screw, rivet, or the like, which is guided in the slot.

It has been found to be especially advantageous in assembly if one shield component with its slot guide overlaps the other shield component on the edge side and in this way forms a limit stop; this makes it possible to relieve the path of travel in the form of the slot by one shield component on the edge side adjoining the limit stop of the other shield component when the shield dimensions are reduced, before the respective guide part (screw, rivet, etc.) reaches the end of the slot guide. This precludes pulling apart of the slot guide in any relative position of the shield components against each other.

Other advantageous embodiments of the shielding component as claimed in the invention are the subject matter of the other dependent claims.

The shielding component as claimed in the invention will be detailed below using one embodiment shown in the drawings which are schematic and not to scale.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective outside view of the shielding component;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective inside view of the shielding component as shown in FIG. 1.

The shielding component shown in the figures relates especially to a heat shield consisting of two shield components 10, 12. These two shield components 10, 12 are connected to each other by way of a connection unit designated as a whole as 14. The connection unit 14 has a guide means 16 which enables adjustment of the relative position of the individual shield components 10, 12 to each other and is used for fastening in any adjusted position.

The guide means 16 in the upper shield component 10 has a path of travel along which the other, lower shield component 12 can be moved with at least one guide part. As the figures further show, the respective guide part engages the assignable path of travel and forms a fastening means for fastening the shield components 10, 12 in their relative position which they have assumed to each other.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the respective path of travel consists of a slot guide 18 through which the assignable guide part extends. For this purpose the respective guide part with an end-side projection overlaps the slot of the guide in the shield component 10 and is retained with its other end in the other, further shield component 12 (compare FIG. 2). By preference the guide part consists of a screw 20 or a rivet, the respective head part configured on the end side forming the indicated projection. In the configuration as claimed in the invention, it is possible on the one hand to select the connection such that the two heat shields can be moved against each other in the manner of frictional engagement with a low expenditure of force; but an initially loose connection of the shield components 10, 12 against each other on-site is also possible, in particular at the installation site, after the shield components 10, 12 have assumed their relative position to each other, a nonpositive rigid connection between them is established by way of the respective guide part as part of the connection unit 14. If a frictional connection is considered, this optionally permits compensation of the thermal expansion behavior of the individual heat shields in the form of shield components 10, 12 so that thermal compensation can be achieved by the components 10, 12 being able to move unconstrained against each other while still being fastened on each other during expansion.

As FIGS. 1 and 2 furthermore show, the shield components 10, 12 are designed as shell-like protective covers which in the installed state have a common longitudinal alignment along which, configured in parallel, the respective path of travel extends in the form of slot guides 18, in particular the two slot guides 18 are configured in the edge-side arch area on both sides of the center bracket of the shield components 10, 12, and thus permit, viewed in the direction of the axial or longitudinal alignment, an increase or decrease in the size of the shielding component by the shield components 10, 12 being moved apart by pulling out from each other along their slot guides 18 or being pushed into each other in the opposite direction.

In addition to the illustrated axial pulling-out direction, in one embodiment, which is not shown, there can however also be another path of travel which enables adjustment of the relative position of the shield components 10, 12 to each other optionally in other directions, especially also in transverse directions. Furthermore, the respective shield component 10, 12 can be connected to at least one additional shield component (not shown) which is optionally provided with a comparable connection unit, and then with one shielding component the relative position of shield components of the same or different type can be adjusted to each other in the most varied directions.

The respective path of travel is guided in an overlap 22 of one shield component 10 which upon contact overlaps the other shield component 12 along a radial encompassing arch. While the overlap 22 of one shield component 10 ends on the edge side to the exterior, it forms a limit stop 24 opposite for the other shield component 12 along its free edge, the respective path of travel extending within the overlap 22. In this way the respective slot guide 18 can be relieved by way of the limit stop 24 so that it is ensured that the guide part in the form of a screw 20 cannot strike the edge of the slot guide in the displacement direction (pushed-together state). By preference, the limit stop 24 is implemented by a crimped-in edge on the hood-shaped shield component 10. Furthermore, the shield component 12, which has the respective guide part in the form of screws 20 on the edge side, has two other slot guides 26 for fastening the relative position of the shielding component relative to the vehicle components and/or engine components, such as catalytic converter exhaust systems (not shown). Additionally, the shield component 10 viewed in the direction of looking at the figures in the upper area has an encompassing edge 28, which, provided with through openings 30, forms additional fastening possibilities for the shielding component.

The respective shield component 10, 12 used consists of a single-layer or multilayer formed part, in particular a formed sheet metal part, and for a multilayer system an insulating intermediate layer can be accommodated between the cover layers of sheet metal. In particular it also becomes possible to connect single-layer shield components to multilayer shield components which even with very different thermal expansion behaviors maintain their adjusted relative position to each other such that relative expansion to each other is possible by way of the respective path of travel or slot guide. 

1. Shielding component, a heat shield in particular, consisting of at least two shield components (10, 12) which can be connected to each other by way of a connection unit (14), characterized in that the connection unit (14) has a guide means (16) which enables adjustment of the relative position of the individual shield components (10, 12) to each other and which is used for fastening in the adjusted position.
 2. The shielding component as claimed in claim 1, wherein the guide means (16) in one of the shield components (10) has at least one path of travel in the form of a slot, along which another, in particular adjacent, shield component (12) can be moved with its guide part.
 3. The shielding component as claimed in claim 2, wherein the respective guide part engages the assignable path of travel and forms a fastening means for fastening the shield components (10, 12) in the relative position which they have assumed to each other.
 4. The shielding component as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the respective path of travel consists of a slot guide (18) through which the assignable guide part extends which with a projection on its one end overlaps the slot of the guide and which is retained with its other end in the other further shield component (12).
 5. The shielding component as claimed in claim 4, wherein the guide part is formed from a screw (20), a rivet, or a threaded pin, which, provided with a head or a threaded nut, form the projection.
 6. The shielding component as claimed in one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the shield components (10, 12) are designed as shell-like protective covers which in the installed state have a common longitudinal alignment along which configured in parallel the respective path of travel extends.
 7. The shielding component as claimed in one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the respective path of travel is guided in an overlap (22) of one shield component (10) which upon contact overlaps the other shield component (12).
 8. The shielding component as claimed in claim 7, wherein the overlap (22) of one shield component (10) ends on the edge side to the exterior, and it forms a limit stop (24) opposite for the other shield component (12) along its free edge, and wherein the respective path of travel extends within the overlap (22).
 9. The shielding component as claimed in one of claims 2 to 8, wherein the shield component (12) which has the respective guide part is provided with at least one slot guide (26) for fastening the relative position opposite vehicle components and/or engine components such as catalytic converter exhaust systems.
 10. The shielding component as claimed in one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the respective shield component (10, 12) consists of an also multilayer formed part, in particular a formed sheet metal part. 